Pasta and shrimp are two of my favorite dishes, all the more so when combined with cream and wine. Jeff and I have made this comforting decadent dish from the Pioneer Woman several times, and it remains one of our favorites.  The dish is simple and quick enough to whip up after work, yet elegant enough to serve as a romantic dinner for two, or when hosting a dinner party.

In typical Pioneer Woman fashion, this dish is heavy on the calories and fat, so I will experiment with slimming it down next time by reducing the oil and butter, and substituting half and half for the cream.

Easy simple ingredients. Shelling and deveining the shrimp is the only time-consuming task.

Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque.

Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine.

Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce.

Stir well until combined.

Add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.

Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce.

Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined.

Add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

Enjoy!

Aside from it’s significant religious importance to many people, Easter is usually also a time for the Easter Bunny and big family dinners—usually lamb or  ham.  We’ve done a might tasty Smoked Burgundy Ham quite a few times,  but last year, we were hosting our friends from the Rustic Garden Bistro for an Easter-themed dinner, so I wanted to think a bit outside the box, and serve the Easter Bunny for dinner!  I remembered that a friend had told me that she used to regularly cook rabbit for her kids for Easter Dinner, and not only did they (and their friends at school) get a kick out of it, but it was mighty tasty, as well.

I took some time looking for a good rabbit recipe that would meet the high standards of our guests, and when I stumbled across a “Kentucky Rabbit” recipe that featured bourbon (we like cooking with bourbon…), I was sold!

Bunny at Chino Hills State Park--I decided against whacking him...

While I had hunted rabbit in my youth in the Midwest, I figured it would be frowned upon if I shot a couple at rabbit-ridden Chino Hills State Park, which is almost in our backyard.  So much like I had to decide against getting my own goose for Christmas dinner, I decided I should probably just get my rabbit the weenie way as well.  I wasn’t sure how hard it was going to be to find rabbit in our urban Southern California grocery stores, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy, and almost all my favorites had rabbit in the frozen section, nicely cleaned and separated into tasty little pieces!

This is how they look at the grocery store. Much less cute.

Served with our bacon sauteed Brussel’s sprouts and wild rice with mushrooms and onions, it was a big hit at our dinner party, and we plan to make it for our own kids this year for Easter.  Our kids are used to this sort of twisted humor in our family, but I’m looking forward to hearing the reactions from their friends!

In case you didn’t know, rabbit meat is actually quite lean, and looks and  tastes (cliche’ alert!) a lot like chicken.  This recipe would probably actually work quite well with chicken if you couldn’t find rabbit, or it was too expensive, or it just made you squeamish, but I promise that it is quite tasty, and would be good for any meal any time of year–It’s just funnier for Easter…

See! Looks like chicken!

Seasoned and floured.

Browned in skillet.

Bourbon and drippings.

Mushrooms and green onions in butter and drippings.

Mustard on sauteed mushrooms and onions.

Cream and lemon juice added.

Poured over rabbit in casserole dish and ready to bake!

Baked!

Liquid being converted into gravy.

Poured back over rabbit and ready to serve!

Kentucky Rabbit

Source: Just Game Recipes)

Yield: Serves 6-8
Weight Watchers Info:

• (If 2 Pounds) 13 PointsPlus for 6 servings, 10 PointsPlus if 8 servings.
• (If 3 Pounds) 15 PointsPlus for 6 servings, 12 PointsPlus if 8 servings.

Ingredients

• 2-3 Pounds rabbit, cut in pieces
• 1+ Tsp salt (I used Creole Seasoning)
• 1/4 Cup flour
• 1/2 Cup butter
• 1/2 Cup green onion, diced
• 1/4 Cup parsley, minced
• 2 Tbsp bourbon, warmed
• 1 Pound mushrooms, sliced
• 2 Tbsp mustard (I used whole grain mustard)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Cups light cream
• 3 Egg yolks, lightly beaten

Insructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375.
2. Sprinkle rabbit all over with salt or seasoned salt or Creole seasoning.
3. Coat with flour, shake off excess.
4. Melt 5 Tbsp butter in large skillet and saute until browned.
5. Transfer rabbit to 4 qt (or 9 X 13) casserole.
6. Add bourbon and remaining butter to pan juices and cook onion, parsley, and mushrooms until mushrooms are tender.
7. Blend in mustard, cream, and lemon juice,  and bring just barely to a boil.
8. Pour mixture over rabbit in casserole dish.
9. Cover and bake about 50 minutes (20 minutes per pound) in oven.
10. Remove casserole dish from oven, and drain liquid back into skillet.
11. Boil liquid in skillet, then blend 1/2 cup hot liquid slowly into egg yolks, and return mixture to pan.
12. Cook over low heat, stirring until thickened.
13. Pour back over rabbit in casserole dish, and serve!

Plated with wild rice and bacon sauteed Brussel's sprouts.

We don’t generally like steamed vegetables.  They are usually rather tasteless and are frequently too mushy.  Colleen burned out on steamed vegetables during her strict diet years, and the only steamed vegetable I ever liked was steamed broccoli with not-so-healthy cheese sauce.  But during a recent search for a new Asian(ish) vegetable side dish (other than the standard stir fry, or our Thai Peanut Green Beans,  or Asian Grilled Asparagus) I stumbled across a recipe for “Sesame Steamed Zucchini”.  It sounded pretty good, and really easy, so I printed it for later use.

Then a week or two ago, I got home early for work, and decided to surprise my wife by picking up some salmon to smoke, instead of the leftovers we originally had planned for dinner before heading to our small group Bible Study that night (we usually don’t have time to cook a fresh meal on those nights).  I paired it with some wild rice with onions and mushrooms, and I suddenly remembered the zucchini recipe, and thought that would be a nice and easy side dish that would pair well with the salmon and rice.  Turns out (as usual…) I was right!

I used yellow squash and zucchini for a little more color, and added some crushed red pepper for a bit of a kick, and it was great!  We have already done it again, and it is destined to be a regular part of our rotation in the future for a variety of dishes, whether it be Asian, grilled, or even baked.

Raw materials for Asian steamed sesame squash.

In the steamer basket.

The tasty mixture that keeps this dish from being another horrible steamed vegetable side.

Steamed! Be careful not to over-steam into a mushy mess.

Ready to serve!

Asian Sesame Steamed Squash

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home

Yield: 2 servings (can easily double this)
Weight Watchers Info: 2 PointsPlus per 1 cup serving

Ingredients

• 1 Small/medium zucchini
• 1 Small/medium yellow squash
• 2 Tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (1 tbsp)
• 1 1/2 Tsp sesame seeds
• 1 Tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 Tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
• Dash Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1. Slice zucchini and squash lengthwise, then cut into 1/2 inch half moon slices.
2. Place in steamer basket in saucepan.
3. Bring to a boil, cover, and steam for 5-7 minutes (If you prefer it less squishy, aim for 5)
4. While steaming squash, mix oil, lemon juice, sesame seeds, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in small measuring cup.
5. Transfer steamed squash to serving bowl.
6. Pour sesame mixture over the top and toss to coat.
7. Serve!

Plated with smoked salmon and wild rice with mushrooms and onions.

I’d always wanted to make home-made bread, but never got around to getting a bread machine, so pretty much only ever made pumpkin-banana bread and things like that.  I was always afraid to try a real bread in a regular oven, assuming anything else I tried wouldn’t turn out right.  But last year, while planning our Saint Patrick’s Day Dinner (other dishes included Cheddar Ale Soup, Shepherd’s Pie, and Chocolate Guinness Mousse with Irish Whiskey Whipped Cream) with our friends from the Rustic Garden Bistro, I stumbled across what looked like a very tasty and very do-able Irish Soda Bread recipe from the Barefoot Contessa, whom I’m actually not a huge fan of, but Colleen loves, and it got 5 stars on over 100 ratings, so whatever…

But I put aside my anti-Ina biases and gave it a try, and it was pretty easy and turned out great, despite her general boring-ness.  :-)

Next time I may add the sugar sprinkles on the outside that all the soda bread we see at the store seems to have, but since this was to accompany a savory meal, and it was already relatively sweet (it is also a great breakfast bread!), I didn’t let the lack of exterior sugar bug me this time.  But it looked like an actual loaf of bread and it tasted good, so I declare it a success!

Irish Soda Bread Fixin's

Cubed butter on dry fixin's.

Dry bowl, wet bowl, and currants, ready to rock.

Mixing the dough.

Dough on floured board.

Notched and sitting on the parchment paper on the cookie sheet.

That actually looks like a loaf of Irish Soda Bread!

Irish Soda Bread

Source: Barefoot Contessa

Yield: 1 loaf
Weight Watchers Info: 11 PointsPlus per slice (if cut loaf into 8 slices)

Ingredients

• 4 Cups all-purpose flour (plus a little bit extra for the currants and more for kneading later)
• 4 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 Tsp kosher salt
• 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 3/4 Cups cold buttermilk, shaken
• 1 XL egg, lightly beaten
• 1 Tsp grated orange zest
• 1 Cup dried currants

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl
3. Add butter and mix with electric mixer on low until mixed into flour
4. Lightly mix buttermilk, egg, and zest with a fork or whisk in a measuring cup
5. Slowly add wet mixture to dry mixture with mixer on low speed
6. Combine currants with 1 tbsp flour and mix into dough  (it is quite moist…)
7. Plop dough on floured surface and knead into a round loaf
8. Place loaf on parchment paper on a cookie sheet
9. Lightly cut an X in the top of the dough with a serrated knife
10. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a test poke with a knife or cake tester comes out clean.  Tapping the loaf should result in a hollow sound
11. Cool on a baking rack
12. Serve warm or at room temperature

Plated with Cheddar Ale Soup.

As part of the St. Paddy’s Day dinner party we hosted for our friends last year, I made this rich delicious cheddar ale soup from Williams-Sonoma. It was sooo good! But, so filling. We served it as a first course, yet it’s hearty enough — especially if paired with bread — to function as an entire meal. This recipe is way too fattening to bother with calculating Weight Watchers PointsPlus — save it for  splurge occasion. And definitely use good ale!

Definitely go with a good Irish ale!

Every recipe ought to start with bacon! Real bacon!

And go with real butter. No point in the diet stuff for this dish.

Add the flour to your sauteed vegetables.

Add the ale. Since this only uses 1 cup of ale, go ahead and drink the rest of the bottle!

Add the Worcestershire.

Add the milk and broth.

After simmering for 10-12 minutes, remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender.

Add the cheese and melt over a medium-low heat while constantly stirring.

Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with bacon and bacon, and drizzle with oil.

Cheddar-Ale Soup

Source: Williams-Sonomoa

Yield: 6 servings
Weight Watchers Info: Don’t bother

Ingredients

4 thick-cut bacon slices, cut into 3-inch strips
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup pale ale
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/4 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Toasted croutons for garnish
Olio novello for drizzling

Instructions

In a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Discard all but 2 Tbs. of the fat in the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter. Add the onion, carrots and celery, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ale and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Worcestershire, milk and broth, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth.

Set the pot over medium-low heat and add the cheese by the handful, stirring constantly; do not allow the soup to boil. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Garnish with croutons and the bacon and drizzle with olio novello. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Last year we hosted a Saint Patrick’s Day dinner with some friends, and we were serving a Cheddar Ale Soup, Shepherd’s Pie, and Irish Soda Bread (recipes coming soon!), and had picked up some 12 year old Jameson Whiskey, so we really didn’t think we needed a dessert, too.  But then we stumbled upon a couple of recipes for a Chocolate Guinness Mousse, and an Irish Whiskey Whipped Cream (we might have mentioned our fondness for cooking with whiskey before…), and they sounded so good, that we convinced ourselves that they would be light enough to serve even after a very heavy meal, and it would be worth breaking our usual no-dessert diet for.

To be honest, we probably should have skipped either that or the soup, even though both were really, really good.  But we really were too full to completely enjoy this dessert, but it looked and sounded so good, that we forced ourselves to eat it anyways.  It was definitely good enough to do again, but next time, we’ll be sure to eat less for dinner and/or serve it in smaller dishes.

I doubt it is a traditional Irish dessert, but what’s more Irish than Guinness and Jameson’s?

Raw materials for Chocolate Guinness Mousse.

Chocolate, butter and sugar in the modified double boiler.

Melted chocolate, butter, and sugar.

Chocolate plus Guinness plus egg yolks.

Nice and smooth and ready for the cream.

Stiff peaks!

Folding the cream into the chocolate mixture.

Mmmmm... Moussey!

Mousse poured into four (too large) dessert cups.

Chocolate Guinness Mousse

Source: The Irish Pub Cookbook, as found on About.com

Yield: 8 servings
Weight Watchers Info: Don’t bother

Ingredients

• 8 Ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped or grated
• 1/2 Cup unsalted Kerrygold Irish Butter (can sub regular unsalted butter)
• 1/4 Cup superfine sugar
• 3/4 Cup Guinness Stout
• 3 Large eggs, separated
• 1 Cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. In a double boiler or a bowl set in a simmering pan of water, combine chocolate, butter, and sugar, and stir until mixture is melted and smooth.
2. Stir in the Guinness and whisk in the egg yolks.
3. Remove from heat.
4. In a small bowl, whip the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, then fold into chocolate mixer.
5. Clean beaters, and beat egg whites in a clean bowl with mixer until stiff peaks form.  Fold into chocolate mixture.
6. Fill 8 wine glasses or parfaits or dessert cups with mixture, leaving room for whipped cream.
7. Refrigerate.

Fixin's for Irish Whiskey Whipped Cream.

Peaks!

Irish Whiskey Whipped Cream

Source: Culinary Alchemy

Weight Watchers Info: Don’t bother

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Irish Whiskey (Bushmill’s, Jameson, etc.)
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Cup heavy cream

Insructions

1. Combine whiskey and sugar in a bowl, stir to begin dissolving sugar.
2. Add cream and whisk until stiff peaks are formed.
3. Spoon Irish Whiskey Whipped Cream over refrigerated Chocolate Guinness Mousse.
4. Serve!

Spooned over mousse and ready to serve!

We’re big fans of Paula Deen here at The Taste Place, but her recipes are usually way too fattening for us to make on a regular basis. I knew that her sons had started their own website, touting many of their recipes as lighter versions of their mom’s classics.  But, “lighter” doesn’t necessarily mean “light”. When I came across this particular recipe a couple weeks ago, I calculated out the Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value, and was surprised to discover that it is indeed “light” — and totally Weight Watchers friendly.

I made this soup last week for Hubby and the kids on a weeknight after work.  It was super quick to prepare. And it was super delicious.  A big big hit with the entire family, who rated it “a keeper”. No one felt cheated out of Paula’s more fattening original version.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large in a large nonstick saucepot or Dutch oven. Add the sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic.

Cook over medium-high heat until the sausage is crumbled and browned.

Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add the noodles; bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered until the soup thickens slightly and the noodles are tender. Remove from the heat; stir in mozzarella, basil, and the Parmesan.

Serve and enjoy!

Bobby’s Lighter Tastes Like Lasagna Soup

Source: Deen Bros

Yield: 8 cups
Weight Watchers Info: 6 PointsPlus per 1 cup serving

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (32-ounce) container chicken broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4 ounces broken whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 4 noodles)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
• 8 Whole-wheat breadsticks or grissini (optional)

Instructions

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick saucepot or Dutch oven. Add the sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crumbled and browned, 8 – 10 minutes.

Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes. Add the noodles; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly and the noodles are tender, 10 – 12 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in mozzarella, basil, and the Parmesan. Serve with the breadsticks, if using. (whole-wheat lasagna noodles take a little longer to cook.)

We love cooking multiple varieties of Asian food at home, but a lot of the main dishes we’ve made don’t have a whole lot of what we call “vegetables” in them.  Sometimes we don’t care, and just slap it on some rice or noodles and call it a meal.  Other times we’ve used a simple vegetable stir fry, or our excellent Thai-style Green Beans.  But recently, we did our Spicy Mint Beef (or was it the Mongolian Beef?) and Kung Pao Chicken within a couple days of each other.  When we decided to do our Pad Thai (recipe coming soon) recipe at the end of the week, we needed a new vegetable side,  and asparagus was on sale, so I got some (we’re fiscally conservative like that).

A little bit of online research gave me a couple of options, but I quickly settled on a grilled asparagus recipe from About.com, as it looked tasty, relatively easy, and involved grilling, which regular readers know is always an attractant for me.  I do grilled asparagus pretty regularly, usually just with a balsamic vinaigrette marinade or something like that, but this one used oyster sauce, lime juice, and red chili, which is another attractant for me.

Turned out that it was great!  It was We were quite pleased with it and it was as easy as the recipe looked.  It will definitely be added to the repertoire for future meals that require an Asian-ish side.

Pretty easy ingredient line-up.

Marinade mixed!

I almost always prefer using a resealable plastic bag to a bowl or pan.

That's about what you want it to look like when it is done.

Ready to serve!

Asian Grilled Asparagus

Source: About.Com

Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Weight Watchers Info: 1 PointPlus if 2 servings, 1/2 PointPlus if 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 1 Bunch asparagus
• 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 4 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Red chile, minced, or 1/2 tsp dried crushed chiles, or 2 dried red chiles, chopped

Instructions

1. Break off ends of asparagus and rinse well
2. Mix oyster sauce, garlic, lime juice, brown sugar and chile
3. Place asparagus in a resealable plastic bag, add marinade, and mix to distribute evenly on asparagus
4. Let marinade for up to an hour
5. Grill asparagus (reserving remaining marinade in bag) on oiled grates, or use a non-stick grill grate until slightly browned on parts of the outside, about ten minutes, rotating once
6. Put on serving plate and drizzle with leftover marinade from bag (because it wasn’t used with meat, it is safe uncooked)
7. Serve with rice and whatever other Asian main dish you’ve prepared

Plated with pad thai!

I have been hooked big time on brussels sprouts, since first trying them out for a Christmas dinner party in 2010. I can’t get enough of them.

My family’s favorite way to eat them is with bacon and butter, but that method is just too high in fat and calories for me to cook except for special holiday dinners.  Fortunately, Hubby and the kids are still pretty pleased with this much leaner recipe by Gina over at SkinnyTaste.com.  While they’ll always choose bacon and butter when given the choice, we all do enjoy the surprising amount of flavor packed into this skinnier version.

Heat olive oil. Add shallots and sauté about 2 minutes, add garlic and saute until golden.

Add shredded brussels sprouts, salt and pepper.

Sauté on medium-low for about 4-5 minutes.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

Source: Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes

Yield: 4 servings
Weight Watchers Info: 2 PointsPlus per serving

Ingredients

• 1 lb brussels sprouts (outer leaves removed and washed)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions

Finely shred the brussels sprouts after thoroughly washing. In a sauté pan, heat olive oil. Add shallots and sauté about 2 minutes, add garlic and saute until golden. Add brussels sprouts, salt and pepper and sauté on medium-low for about 4-5 minutes.